The Two and a Half Men star has entered three whole pleas—all of them not guilty.
Nearly a month after checking into rehab, a smiling Charlie Sheen reemerged today in an Aspen court to proclaim his innocence on charges stemming from a Christmas Day altercation with wife Brooke Mueller.
If convicted on all counts—felony menacing, misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor criminal mischief—he would face up to five years behind bars.
Sheen gave a thumbs-up to reporters but didn't discuss his case, leaving the talking to publicist Stan Rosenfield: "Charlie is looking forward to the opportunity to clear his name."
But will the case even go to trial?
Sheen, whose publicist described his voluntary treatment as a "preventative measure" but declined to go into specifics about the star's sobriety, is reportedly amenable to a plea bargain that spares him jail time and a publicly embarrassing trial.
Likewise, prosecutors haven't ruled out some kind of deal, but obviously nothing was hammered out in advance of today's hearing. Perhaps they'll reach an accord by the scheduled trial date of July 21.
Since the 44-year-old was rung up on the charges last month, he and Mueller have been in contact, even sharing the plane ride back to L.A. together. Mueller, however, was not present at today's hearing, choosing to remain at home with her rehab team.
But don't go reading anything into that.
A source close to the couple has denied reports of an impending breakup, telling E! News, "they are fine."
Still, Sheen isn't letting all the offstage drama keep him from his funnyman duties. After a three-week absence, he returns to the set of Two and a Half Men tomorrow morning to begin work on the remaining four episodes of the season.
—Additional reporting by Aly Weisman
(Originally published March 15, 2010, at 2:25 p.m. PT)
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How exactly did he go off the rails this time? Take a look through our Charlie Sheen: Road to Rehab gallery and find out.